Military Will Have Reduced Role in Scaled-Back DC Inauguration Events
The U.S. Navy Band marches down Pennsylvania Avenue during the 58th Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C., January 20. 2017. (U.S. Navy/Senior Chief Musician Stephen Hassay)
19 Jan 2021
The military will play a greatly diminished but still prominent role in the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee had already scaled back events that normally celebrate the peaceful transfer of power because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol added new and heavy layers of security, turning the city into a fortress against threats of violence.
Members of the Drumline Battery of the University of Delaware Fightin Blue Hen Marching Band are shown in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. The Drumline represented UD and the state in the Presidential Escort after the swearing in of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.
UD Drumline performs at Presidential Inauguration Article by Katy O Connell Photo by Connor Rydland January 18, 2021
UD one of only two civilian groups invited to participate in Presidential Escort
Editorâs note: Members of the UD Drumline were interviewed for the Jan. 19 edition of NBC Nightly News. The segment is now posted online. This story was originally published on Monday, Jan. 18 and updated with a new photograph on Jan. 20.
After the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack over the 2020 election's results, President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president on Wednesday at noon.